All News

Pierce County Council approves restrictions on tractor-trailer parking

After removing a provision dealing with increased parking fines in general, members of the Pierce County Council voted 6-1 to restrict the parking of semi trailers along the roadside in certain areas of the county at night.

Citing safety concerns for pedestrians, drivers and bicyclists, the ordinance bans commercial semi drivers from parking their trailers in the public right of way in designated residential areas between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Councilmember Jim McCune supported the measure, which he says will help ease the frustration that neighbors have been experiencing in those areas.

“I began receiving repeated complaints from people in these parts of the county, asking us to do something to keep their streets clear of the unwanted obstructions,” said McCune, who represents the county’s 3rd Council District. “Rather than an all-out ban that could have potentially had negative effects on businesses and the economy, the council reached this compromise and I’m pretty pleased with the result.”

Another sponsor of the ordinance, Councilmember Rick Talbert, said he knows there are only a limited number of areas to park tractor-trailers overnight but that it’s a separate issue the council may take up at a future date.

“The fact is that neighbors in these areas were experiencing an increase in these incidents and something needed to be done to help curb that,” said Talbert, who represents Pierce County’s 5th District. “And the drivers who were offloading their trailers weren’t just catching a few winks and moving on. They’d leave their trailers parked in these neighborhoods indefinitely, creating not just an eyesore but significant safety concerns as well.”

Violating the new rules – which take effect August first – will result in $175 fines by the sheriff’s department. The overnight ban applies to public right of ways in unincorporated residential areas within Eatonville, Frederickson, Gig Harbor , Midland, Parkland, South Hill, and Spanaway.